Missouri NAACP sends cease and desist letter to Legal Missouri as marijuana vote nears
The Missouri NAACP sent a cease and desist letter to Legal Missouri 2022 on Tuesday, asking the organization to remove the NAACP's name and emblem from any advertisement, presentation and the website.
Legal Missouri 2022 is the organization backing Amendment 3, which proposes the legalization of recreational, adult-use marijuana and the expungement of some nonviolent marijuana-related offenses.
The cease and desist letter states that Legal Missouri 2022 is prohibited from using the name of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP or any member units, including the Columbia, St. Louis County and St. Louis City branches, in advertisements without consent.
As of Thursday, these branches remained listed under Legal Missouri 2022's partners and endorsements on the campaign website.
The News-Leader reached out to all three branches but was unable to connect with any spokespersons by press deadline.
More:Here's why Greene County's prosecutor, sheriff oppose recreational marijuana in Missouri
"Since day one of this campaign, local NAACP leaders have helped draft Amendment 3, which is why it's one of the most significant Missouri criminal justice reform measures in decades," Legal Missouri 2022 Campaign Manager John Payne told the News-Leader on Thursday. "In fact, once passed, Missouri will be the first state in the country to automatically expunge past nonviolent marijuana offenses by a vote of the people."
Payne added that Legal Missouri 2022 will be adding members of Missouri's Legislative Black Caucus to the campaign's list of endorsements on Friday.
Legal Missouri 2022 Advisory Board Chair Dan Viets is a NAACP member who helped draft Amendment 3. He described the cease and desist letter as "bogus" and "meaningless."
"(The letter) is a ridiculous publicity stunt," he told the News-Leader. "(The Missouri NAACP) needs to resolve their internal disputes."
In early October, the Missouri NAACP came out against Amendment 3, despite a few NAACP chapters in the St. Louis area saying they supported Amendment 3, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Two weeks ago, the Missouri State Highway Patrol sent a cease and desist letter to Legal Missouri 2022 for using videos which displayed a uniformed person riding a motorcycle and also getting in and out of a vehicle.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri NAACP sends cease and desist letter to Legal Missouri 2022
